Biden Admin Speaks Out About Blood Donation Policy for Men Who Have Sex With Men
ABC News, a White House official said the administration recognizes the painful origins of the policy, which came about during the beginnings of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s.“The legacy of bans on blood donation continues to be painful, especially for LGBTQI+ communities,” the White House official told ABC News. “The President is committed to ensuring that this policy is based on science, not fiction or stigma.
While there are no new decisions to announce at the moment, the FDA is currently supporting the ADVANCE study, a scientific study to develop relevant scientific evidence and inform any potential policy changes.”U.S.
senators sent a letter last week to the Food and Drug Administration requesting the agency lift restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men.“For the first time, the nation’s leading blood donation organizations, including the Red Cross, have declared a national blood supply crisis due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the senators, led by Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, wrote in the letter, released last Thursday.
We urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to quickly act on the best available science and update its outdated and discriminatory blood donor deferral policies for men who have sex with men (MSM), a long overdue step that would dramatically increase the eligible donor base.”The policy’s history goes back to the beginning of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s.
